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Green Leaf

Resources

Below are lists of recommended resources for further study compiled by the speaker from each conference, along with video recordings of the speeches where available.

May God richly bless your studies! 

April 12, 2025

Deeply Rooted

Sue Vanleeuwen

Identity, Belonging, and Trusting God
• Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely – Lysa TerKeurst (An insightful exploration of rejection, identity, and finding security in God’s love.)


• Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of Who We Are in Christ – Edited by Melissa Kruger, Contributions by Jen Wilkin, Hannah Anderson, and others. (Addresses common misconceptions about identity and grounding oneself in scriptural truth.)


• The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness: The Path to True Christian Joy – Timothy Keller (A concise and powerful exploration of finding identity in Christ instead of in the opinions of others.)

 

Suffering, Resilience, and Spiritual Growth
• Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering – Timothy Keller. (A profound look at suffering, pain, and the hope found only in God.)


• A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God's Sovereignty – Joni Eareckson Tada. (Personal, vulnerable reflections on trusting God through chronic pain and hardship.)


• Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts – Jerry Bridges. (Classic work exploring God’s sovereignty and goodness in the midst of life’s difficulties.)


Emotional and Spiritual Health
• Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature – Peter Scazzero. (Explores the integration of emotional health and spiritual maturity from a biblical perspective.)


• Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers – Dane Ortlund. (Deeply comforting portrayal of Christ’s compassion for our struggles and sins.)


• When People Are Big and God Is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man – Edward T. Welch. (Addresses the fear of man and the power of living with a God-centered identity.)

 

Building a Deep, Rooted Faith
• None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different from Us (and Why That's a Good Thing) – Jen Wilkin. (Helps readers anchor themselves in God’s unchanging nature, providing stability and peace.)


• Rooted: Theology for Growing Christians – J.A. Medders & Brandon D. Smith. (Encourages readers to grow deeper spiritual roots through solid theological foundations.)**


Practical and Encouraging Devotionals
• New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional – Paul David Tripp
• The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms – Timothy & Kathy Keller

 

Therapeutic resources (not specifically grounded in Reformed Theology)
Attachment and Relationships:

• Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? Julie Smith. (explanation of “feelings are not facts” and emotional reasoning)*

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• Hold Me Tight - Sue Johnson and Kenneth Sanderfer. (Integrates EFT with Christian theology, focusing on attachment, emotional bonds, and connection with God and partner)


• Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships - Curt Thompson, M.D.
(Explores neuroscience, attachment theory, and spiritual formation from a Christian perspective.)


• Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode—and into a Life of Connection and Joy by Aundi Kolber
(Combines psychology, spirituality, and trauma-informed care, guiding readers toward emotional resilience rooted in God's care.)


• The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves by Curt Thompson, M.D.  (Addresses shame and identity struggles, using neuroscience and biblical truths to reshape personal narratives.)


Identity, Emotional Health, and Christian Psychology:
• Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You by Dr. Henry Cloud (Offers practical guidance for emotional healing, healthy boundaries, and identity anchored in Christ.)

 

Anxiety, Perfectionism, and Boundaries:
• The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown (Though secular, widely used by Christians for understanding vulnerability, shame, and authentic identity.)*


• Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend (Provides biblically grounded therapeutic principles for managing boundaries, anxiety, and people-pleasing.)


• The Anxious Generation – Jonathan Haidt (a well researched and evidence based summary of anxiety in children leading to parenting tactics to create more resilience in children)*

 

Neuroplasticity and Mind Renewal:
• Switch On Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health by Dr. Caroline Leaf (Combines neuroscience with Scripture, exploring neuroplasticity and the renewing of the mind.)**


• Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life by Craig Groeschel (Practical, therapeutic, and scriptural strategies for changing thought patterns and overcoming negative thinking.)**

 

* not necessarily a Christian resource
** I have not read this book yet. Looking forward to diving into it😊
 

October 23, 2024

Not a burden, but an encouragement

Pastor Eric Onderwater
&
Margaret Casar

(Books that have positively impacted Margaret's walk with the Lord, but don't necessarily pertain to the topic of the study day.)

 

Knowing God, by JI Packer

The Gospel According to Jesus, by John MacArthur 

Willing to Believe, by RC Sproul 

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Recommended at the conference:

Preparing Him for the Other Woman, by Sheri Rose Shepherd 

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Video recordings are now on our YouTube channel!

April 6, 2024

Tears in Heaven:
Imaging God with our Emotions


Karen Vandeburgt

Anatomy of the Soul: The Deepest Place, by Curt Thompson

Untangling Emotions, by J. Alasdair Groves and Winston T. Smith

The Cry of the Soul, by Dan Allender and Tremper Longman III

Angry with God, by Brad Hambrick

Emotionally Healthy Relationships, by Peter and Geri Scazzero

The Emotions of God, by David T. Lamb

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Karen's Blog: www.just-write.ca

October 18, 2023

Prepared: Communicating hope through gospel-centered living

Pastor Hilmer Jagersma & Nicole Vanderee

Biblical Literacy:

Women of the Word, by Jen Wilkin
Ten Words to Live By, by Jen Wilkin
You are a Theologian, by Jen Wilkin & Jt English
Every Day Theology (adult and teen workbook), by Mary Wiley
None Like Him, by Jen Wilkin
In His Image, by Jen Wilkin

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Apologetics:

Surviving Religion 101, by Michael Kruger
10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask About Christianity, by Rebecca McLaughlin
Confronting Christianity, by Rebecca McLaughlin
Mama Bear Apologetics, by Hillary Morgan Ferrar

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Sexuality:

Holy Sexuality and the Gospel, by Christopher Yuan
Do Ask, Do tell, Let’s Talk, by Brad Hambrick
The Secret thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, by Rosaria Butterfield

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Podcasts:
Women of the Word
Unshaken Faith
Knowing Faith
Alisa Childers
Reformed Talk
Maven Parent Podcast
Gospel in Life

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Kids Resources for teaching children:

First Catechism (Great Commission Publication)
New City Children’s Catechism (For older children)

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Tiny Theologians (www.tinytheologians.com)
- Tiny Systematics 
- Adventure through the Old Testament 
- Christ at the Center Card Set 
- The Gospel Changes Everything (30 devotionals for families)

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The Ology, by Marty Machowski

Arlo and the Great Big Cover Up (Sin, repentance and forgiveness)

Sammy and His Shepherd- Seeing Jesus in Psalm 23, by Susan Hunt

Cold Case Christianity, Forensic Faith, God’s Crime Scene, by J Warner Wallace

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The Good Book Company (note these books picture Jesus in human form)

- The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross (great book to read for Easter and a great teaching tool on the thread that runs throughout scripture “because of your sin you cannot come it”)

- Say Goodbye to Goodbyes (A beautiful reminder that death doesn’t have to be a forever goodbye, because Jesus came to end goodbyes)

- Jesus and the Lion’s Den (The story of Daniel and how it points us to Jesus)

- The Storm that Stopped (A true story about who Jesus really is -GOD)

- A Friend who Forgives (The story of Peter’s failure and Jesus’ forgiveness)

- The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party (A true story about Heaven, Jesus and the Best Invitation of all)

 

R.C. Sproul
(These books would be more for school aged children, I have not had the chance to read through them all but they are on display for you to peruse)

- The Donkey who carried a King

- The Priest with Dirty Clothes (Christ’s righteousness for our sin)

- The Prince’s Poison Cup (Jesus’ drinks the cup of God’s wrath)

- The Knights Map (Scripture is true and trustworthy and points us to Jesus)

- The Lightlings (Jesus, the Light of the World, shines in the darkness)

    

Podcasts for Kids

Tiny theologians

Maven Podcast

Foundations Worldview
Sermon Notes template: (https://www.reformedmama.com/blog-1/sermon-notes-for-kids)

"Sisters in the Word" is a volunteer Board comprised of women from the Canadian Reformed Churches in Southern Ontario, working to serve and bring together the local Women's Bible Studies in days of study twice a year.

 

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